PARKLAND, Wash. – Jami
Roos scored 18 of her game-high 27 points in a 12-minute
span of the second half that lifted the George Fox University
Bruins from a tie to a 20-point lead and an eventual 69-46 win over
the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in Northwest Conference
women’s basketball action Friday night here at the Olson
Auditorium.

With the win, George Fox improved to 18-6 overall and remained
tied for third in the conference with Whitworth University, both
11-4 in the league. Pacific Lutheran fell to 6-16 overall
with its ninth straight loss and to 3-12 in the NWC.

The Bruins jumped out to a 4-0 lead on baskets by Megan Arnoldy
and extended the margin to 8-2 on a pair of Justine Benner free
throws. The Lutes roared back with a 7-0 run on a jumper and
a three-pointer by Kara Sherman and a putback by Samantha Potter to
take their only lead of the game at 9-8 with 12:30 left in the
first period.

A jumper by McKenzie Wolfe 13 seconds later put the Bruins back
in front and they never trailed again, though it took a while to
shake the upset-minded Lutes. The Bruins twice rebuilt
six-point leads in the half, the last at 29-23 on a conventional
three-point play by Roos with 44 seconds left. Two free
throws by Potter brought the Lutes within four at the break,
29-25.

A jumper by Roos to open the second half made the George Fox
lead six again, but the Lutes responded with an 8-2 run to tie it
33-33 with 16:47 to go in the game. Sherman and Potter each
had a pair of baskets to fuel the Lutes’ rally.

At that point, Roos took over, breaking the tie for good
with a layup and free throw at the 16:27 mark. Over the next
12 minutes, she poured in a layup, four free throws, and three
three-pointers, the last trey making a 59-39 George Fox advantage
with 4:58 left. The Lutes got no closer than 18 on a pair of
Sarah Barnes free throws with 2:38 remaining, but the Bruins
stretched their lead to as many as 26 points when Megan Hays hit a
fast-break layin for a 69-43 lead with 11 seconds to play.

George Fox blistered the nets with a .553 (26-47) shooting
percentage while holding Pacific Lutheran to only a .231 (15-65)
mark. The Bruins also controlled the glass 44-34, though the
Lutes grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.

Roos set a new career high in points by making 9-16 from the
field, 3-6 in threes, and 6-6 from the line. Benner chipped
in with 10 points and had a team-best eight rebounds and five
assists. Roos made four steals, and the Bruins blocked nine
shots - four by Hays, three by Hannah Munger, and two by Nicole
Blizzard.

Potter posted a double-double for the Lutes as she scored 19
points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sherman added 13
points. Megan Abdo and Chrissy Swope handed out three assists
each, and Sherman and Amber Stokes made three steals apiece.

NEXT: George Fox ends the regular season at the
University of Puget Sound while Pacific Lutheran hosts
league-leading Lewis & Clark College Saturday, both tipping off
at 6:00 p.m. ... NWC men’s games will follow at 8:00 p.m.